


Dream a Little Dream of Me

by bubblygal92



Series: Tales from the Vortex [2]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Reality, Chameleon Arch, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-18
Updated: 2013-08-18
Packaged: 2018-01-10 06:00:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1155971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblygal92/pseuds/bubblygal92
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Captain Rose Tyler is UNIT's best operative and Kate Stewart's right hand woman. Things seem to be going smoothly when Kate gets a late night visit from the Doctor who implores her to help him hide as a human. With a Chameleon-Arched Eighth Doctor as their new Medical Officer, things at UNIT shake up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dream a Little Dream of Me

_"Help, I need help."_

Those words still rang in Kate Stewart's ears as she showed their new Medical Officer to his surgery. Last night had been the weirdest one she had ever had so far, and considering what her normal life was usually like, it was really saying something.

She had been sure that it was a dream when she had heard the TARDIS in her backyard before an unfamiliar man had stumbled out.

_"Brigadier! I need to hide. They are following me."_

_"Who are you?"_

_"Kate. Little Kate. Oh, how you've grown. But this means I'm late. He's gone, isn't he?"_

_"If you're referring to my father…"_

_"There isn't time to explain. I have to start the process soon. Help me hide, Kate. Please, it is vital that you help me."_

"Here we are," said Kate now, indicating the infirmary. "Your office is just through that door. I trust that everything is to your satisfaction, Doctor Smith?"

"Oh absolutely," he said, sounding delighted. "Thank you for showing me around, Dr. Stewart."

"Just Kate please," she said. "I'll let you get acquainted with your new workplace then, Doctor."

"John is just fine," he smiled as he took off his suit jacket and picked up a white lab coat. "Have a good day, Kate."

"I will…John," said Kate as she gave a small smile and left the infirmary. She was halfway to her office when she remembered that she had to drop a note to General Bambera regarding the recent addition to her staff. The paperwork on this one was going to be hell.

"Is Captain Tyler in yet?" she asked her assistant, Mira, as she went into her office.

Mira shook her head. "She's in the field today," she answered. "You look like you could use a cup of tea. Or something stronger."

Kate laughed. "I have had an odd night and didn't get much sleep," she confessed, rubbing her temples. "Tea sounds nice. Make one for yourself too, Mira. Something stronger is going to have to wait until five, I'm afraid."

Mira nodded and left Kate's office to fetch them both tea. Kate sighed mournfully at the pile of paperwork in front of her and started to fill in the situation report to General Bambera before remembering that this might be needed to be kept off the books. She picked up the phone instead.

"Winifred, it's Kate. What are you doing for lunch?"

~

"The Wolf is in position. I repeat, the Wolf is in position."

"Never thought we'd get to see the boss all dressed up like this," muttered Corporal Mitchell, looking at the blonde woman sitting at a table near the café window dressed in a chic white knee-length dress.

"I heard that," murmured Captain Rose Tyler as she stirred sugar into her coffee and resisted the urge to throw her six inch heels at his head.

"Sorry, Captain," came Adam's embarrassed apology and the muffled laughter of the rest of the squad members.

"Focus, you lot," Rose murmured as she lifted her coffee cup and took a sip. The grunts fell silent instantly, knowing that there would be hell to pay tomorrow in training if they pissed off the boss.

"9 o'clock, boss," came Sergeant Simmonds' signal and Rose casually glanced to her left and saw a man in an expensive Armani suit entering the café. He stopped a few paces in and glanced around before his gaze zeroed in on her. She gave him a small smile and raised her hand in greeting.

"Miss Prentice?"

"That's me," she said, indicating the seat in front of her. "Do I have the pleasure of addressing Mr Tannoy?"

"Mr Tannoy will be along shortly. I'm his head of security," he said.

"Mr Tannoy needs security in a public place such as this?" asked Rose, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, his face betraying no emotions.

Rose gave an unconcerned nod and returned to sipping her coffee. Tannoy's head of security kept staring at her but she gave no indication of impatience or irritation. She could see that her non-reaction was starting to annoy him. Ten agonising minutes passed before a balding man entered the café followed by two more men that looked like security behind him.

"Miss Prentice, I apologise for my lateness," said Tannoy as his Head of Security stood up and pulled out a chair for him.

"Not a problem. Shall I order you something?" asked Rose, her tone politely patient.

"I would prefer it if we got down to business right away," he said.

"Of course," said Rose. "As per our earlier conversation, my very generous offer of quarter of a million pounds still stands."

"It is a generous offer," he said, inclining his head. "But I have a buyer for 300,000 pounds."

"For a stuffed Raxacoricofallapatorian arm?" she asked, her gaze disbelieving.

"Well, it is rather unique after all," said Tannoy.

Rose pretended to mull it over. "If it's all the same to you, I would prefer to examine the artefact before raising my offer," she said.

"Of course," said Tannoy and clicked his fingers.

One of the security men behind him left the café and returned momentarily with a large Cello case. He stood it up next to Mr Tannoy's chair.

"When he shows the arm, move in," came Sergeant Jake Simmonds' order to the squad.

Rose tucked a strand of hair behind her left ear, meaning that she agreed with the order. Tannoy's head of security stood up and clicked the case open. He opened it and Rose saw the arm resting inside it.

"NOW!"

"Put it up!" shouted Rose as she stood up and pointed her gun at Tannoy's head.

"I wouldn't try it," said Jake as he pointed his gun at Tannoy's head of security while the rest of the squad secured the other two security personnel.

"Fredrick Tannoy, under the authority of Unified Intelligence Taskforce, I am charging you for the crime of smuggling banned alien artefacts," said Rose. "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in the International Criminal Court. You have the right to retain a state-sanctioned attorney. Stand up."

"UNIT, huh?" said Tannoy, looking only slightly ruffled as he stood up. "You had me going for a while, Miss Prentice."

"It's Captain Tyler to you," said Rose as Tannoy was handcuffed. "Is everyone secured?"

"Yes, Captain," said Jake as Tannoy and his three men were handcuffed and sat down.

"Good, contact HQ and call for prisoner transfer," ordered Rose.

"Yes, Captain," said Corporal Ross Jenkins with a firm nod.

Rose tucked her gun back into her thigh holster as she looked around the café. They had emptied it of all civilians before commencing this operation and this definitely counted as a success. Tannoy was a slippery bastard and hopefully, this stunt would see him imprisoned for a while.

"The troops are on the way, Captain," reported Ross.

"Fine," said Rose. The door to the café slammed open and a man dressed similar to Tannoy's security burst in and fired his gun.

"Put it down!" shouted Jake as he and Ross rounded on the shooter.

Upon seeing his boss and the remaining of his security people under arrest, he dropped his gun and raised his arms. Jake kept his gun on him while Ross handcuffed him.

Jake lowered his gun and turned around to look at the Captain when he saw the red splashed against her white dress. "Man down, we have a man down," he spoke into his radio. "Call for a medic."

~

Dr John Smith was having a lovely day so far. The job with UNIT had come as a blessing in disguise. He couldn't keep working at the same hospital as Grace now that they had broken up. It was just too awkward.

His military experience had counted in his favour when he had applied for this job and so far, his duties were quite normal. He had just been examining personnel files when he got a message.

_Medical emergency. 1 GSW. ETA 4 minutes._

He jumped to his feet and started to prep the infirmary for a patient with the gunshot wound. He had less than four minutes before his patient would be wheeled in. However, a gurney was wheeled into his infirmary merely three minutes later.

"This is ridiculous," the woman in the white dress was saying. It took a moment for John to realise that she was the patient. She definitely looked annoyed at all the fuss. "Honestly, it's just a graze."

"With respect, ma'am," said the Corporal with her. "We need to hear a medic say that."

"Don't be a smartarse, Jenkins," she said, rolling her eyes before she looked at John staring at her with a half-amused, half-exasperated look. "Hello. Don't think we've met."

"It's my first day," he said as the gurney was wheeled to the bed.

Without waiting for anyone to help her, the woman jumped off the gurney and sat down on the bed, still clutching her left arm with her right hand. Considering the amount of blood splattered on her dress and currently on her hand, John had to admit that she might be right about it just being a graze. Still, he had to check for muscle damage.

"Can you remove your hand, Miss…?"

"Captain," she said. "Captain Rose Tyler. And you are?"

"Dr John Smith," he said as he pried her hand away and looked at her arm. "How do you manage to get shot on your day off, Captain?" he asked as he started cleaning the wound.

"Not my day off," said Rose, not even wincing as he cleaned the wound. "It was an undercover op."

"Oh. Were you successful before you got shot?" he asked as he assessed the damage. It was just a graze, only breaking the skin and leaving the muscle undamaged.

"Yes, we got them," she said, looking slightly happier. "The shooter barrelled in later. We think he might have been the driver."

"Ah," said the Doctor.

"Tell Adam he has some explaining to do," Rose told Ross. "It was his job to secure the entrance of the café."

"Yes, Captain," nodded Ross, looking justifiably angry at Adam's mistake. They were lucky this time but next time might not be so. "With your permission, I'll brief Sergeant Simmonds in, Captain."

Rose gave a nod as the Doctor started bandaging her wound. "Tell Jake to oversee the prisoner transfer," she said.

Ross hesitated. "He's going to want to come and see that you are okay, ma'am," he said.

"I'm fine," said Rose. "Right, Doctor?"

John looked up and gave a nod. "It's a minor wound. You'll be healed within no time at all."

"See," said Rose smugly. "Tell Jake to make sure that Tannoy and his men stay put. We can add attempted murder of a UNIT officer to their charges."

"Yes, Captain," said Ross before he left the infirmary. John finished patching up Rose's wound and started putting his equipment away. When he turned back to his patient, he found her on her feet.

"Where do you think you are going?" he asked her.

"I have to brief Kate and General Bambera," she said, looking around for her shoes.

"I'm afraid that will have to wait," he said firmly.

She looked at him in surprise. "You said I was fine," she said. "I would like to get back to work now," she added, finally finding the heels that she was wearing during the undercover op. She grimaced at them and tossed them away. "I need my uniform and a decent pair of shoes."

"Captain Tyler, I need to keep you under observation for at least 24 hours," he said, putting on his best Doctor voice that made even the most difficult patients comply.

"Fine, Doctor," she said without hesitation. "You can come with me and observe."

Before he could register what she had said, she was walking out of the infirmary. Having no choice but to follow her, he set out after her. She was walking at a brisk pace, despite having no shoes on her feet. They passed one of the supply rooms and she ducked inside to fetch a military jacket and a pair of boots.

"Captain, I must insist on you getting into bed. You might go into shock," he said as she put the jacket on over her ruined dress.

"I am pumped full of coffee and adrenaline, Doctor," she said as she slipped the boots on. "If I decide to crash, I'll eat something sweet."

"That is not the point," he said, trying to be stern but feeling himself blush at the tongue in teeth grin that she shot him. "You might be in pain once the adrenaline wears off."

"I'll take an aspirin then," she said cheekily as she set off again.

John was nearly jogging as he followed her. He wondered which deity he had pissed off in his past life to be saddled with a patient as difficult and endearing as her. He was supposed to be treating her for the effects of a gunshot, not be distracted by her smile (or her legs).

She slammed the doors open of an office and John entered after her to find that it was a conference room. There were five other UNIT grunts, including Ross Jenkins who had brought Rose in. Kate was also waiting inside and John noticed the worry on everyone's face before it morphed into an expression of relief.

"Rose, you're okay!" said Kate.

"Yep, just a graze," she shrugged.

"Uh, Captain, why is the doctor following you?" asked a man with spiky blond hair.

"He's supposed to be observing me for 24 hours," said Rose with a grin. "Doctor, meet my team. This is my second in command, Sergeant Jake Simmonds," she said, pointing to the spiky haired blond. "You've met Ross already, that's Corporal Maya Shah, Corporal Lana Brennan and Corporal Adam Mitchell."

Her tone was icier as she introduced Adam and John found himself glaring at the idiot too. He had almost got Rose killed by being negligent. Then his mind pointed out that Captain Tyler had somehow become Rose without his knowledge. Trying to fight off a blush, he nodded as Rose, er Captain Tyler, introduced him to her squad.

"I have secured Tannoy and his men, Captain," Jake reported. "Tannoy sent for his attorney as expected."

"What about the artefact?" asked Rose.

"It's been secured," answered Maya. "R & D are already at work."

"I'll be overseeing it myself," said Kate. "But I have an appointment with General Bambera to keep. She'll be glad to hear that we have Tannoy. Rose," she said, in a firmer voice. "Listen to the Doctor and don't come in to work without a clean bill of health."

Rose's protest were cut off by a stern look from Kate and she gave a nod. Kate smiled in satisfaction as she nodded at John who smiled back gratefully. Once Kate was gone, Rose ordered her squad to start filing incident reports before demanding to see Adam in her office.

John knew that he had other duties to attend to, but knowing that there was no way he was going to be able to coax Rose into the infirmary, he decided to follow her. If she was fine with it, he would be observing her, albeit in an unorthodox way.

"You don't mind, do you?" he asked regardless as he followed her and Adam into her office.

"Not at all, Doctor," she said. "Make yourself comfortable." Her smile vanished as she stared at Adam. "Explain."

"I'm sorry, Captain," he said. "It won't happen again."

"You're right, it won't," she said sternly. "You are officially on probation, Corporal. One more mishap and you'll be kicked off the squad. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

"You will report to training tomorrow at 0500. Double sets of everything until I deem that you have learned your lesson. Dismissed."

Adam saluted and left her office. John looked at her with raised eyebrows. "You went easy on him," he commented.

To his surprise, she laughed instead of taking offence. "Maybe you should oversee my training sessions, Doctor. I am not very nice when I train my squad. To ask him to do double sets is quite a punishment."

John was intrigued. He realised that it was becoming a common feeling around Captain Rose Tyler.

~

"He's turned himself human," repeated General Bambera for the third time since Kate had first told her.

Kate just gave a nod, knowing that the General would snap out of it in her own time.

"Did he mention why?" she asked.

Kate nodded. "He mentioned something called 'The Family of Blood'. They were hunting him and he decided that this was the best way to hide from them," she explained.

General Bambera nodded slowly. "So, he doesn't remember anything from his life? Anything at all?" she asked.

"Not as far as I can tell," said Kate. "The false memories that were created by him are actually based off his life though. He remembers working with my father, but just as a doctor would with a brigadier in the army. Nothing more."

"I see," said General Bambera. "Who have you briefed about this?"

"You're the first one," answered Kate.

"What about Captain Tyler?" she asked.

"Rose was just injured in the field this morning. She is being looked after by the Doctor. Or well, John Smith. I haven't had a chance to brief her in," said Kate.

General Bambera was silent for a while. "Don't brief anyone else in," she said finally.

Kate raised her eyebrows. "Not even Rose?"

"Not even Rose," said General Bambera. "The only ones who can comprehend this idea have to be the ones who have actually met the Doctor before."

"I haven't seen him since I was a child," Kate pointed out.

"But your father was close to him and you've grown up hearing stories," said General Bambera rationally.

"You don't think Rose can handle this information?" questioned Kate.

"Hardly," snorted General Bambera. "Rose Tyler is perfectly capable of handling anything thrown her way. But unless there is some immediate danger, this will stay completely classified."

Kate nodded, though she looked a bit reluctant. "As you wish, General."

~

_"I am the Bad Wolf. I create myself."_

_He looked into her brilliant glowing eyes and bent his face to hers, touching his lips to hers. The bitter taste of vortex was almost drowned out by the sweetness of her lips. He started to smile as did she. He waited for the burn to come into his hearts but it didn't. The vortex in her eyes swirled before dying down._

_The two of them stayed in their embrace and their second kiss had no trace of the bitter vortex._

John sat up in bed, blushing so deeply that he was afraid that his face might have actually gone up in flames. He glanced at his bedside and saw that it was 4 am. Sighing and running a hand through his hair, he got out of his bed and walked over to the desk in his rooms.

His quarters on the base were mostly bare but he didn't mind it so much. He took out a fresh notebook and opened the first page.

Bad Wolf, he wrote. Without even having to recall the details, he started to sketch her face. The gentle curve of her cheek, the golden hair around her, the swirl of gold in her eyes…and the lips he had kissed.

He took several breaths to compose himself before finishing off the sketch. He hadn't even known her a day and Captain Rose Tyler was already haunting his dreams. He hesitated for a moment before writing her name down under the sketch. With a nod, he appraised the page and added a small '?' after her name.

He glanced back at his clock and saw that it was quarter to 5. Remembering that Rose had ordered Corporal Adam Mitchell to report in the training room at 5 and her own declaration that the training sessions were hard had John eager to witness them firsthand.

He quickly washed up and got dressed, before heading down to the training rooms on the other side of the base. It was already past five by the time he got there and Rose and Adam were warmed up and exercising.

John frowned to himself, watching Rose perform perfect somersaults and backflips on the gym mat while Adam was on the elliptical. He had given her something for the pain after her arm had started throbbing the day before but he had warned her to stay off exercise so that there wouldn't be any further damage to the recovering tissue.

He was about to tell her to stop when he noticed that she was not using her left arm at all. All her somersaults and backflips were done with her right hand while left arm stayed firmly at her side.

 _Close your mouth, idiot_ his brain reminded him and he snapped it shut. Rose noticed him and gave him a small smile and wave before turning her attention to Adam. A few minutes in, John realised that she was not joking when she said that she was not very nice during training.

Even John was starting to feel a bit sorry for Adam as Rose went on. The weird thing was that she was on an elliptical machine next to Adam's and as far as John could see, had it to the same settings as Adam's. She was going through her own training at the same pace as his and was managing to egg him along too.

John lost track of time as Rose and Adam finished the cardio workout and headed over to the weights. Double sets was a punishment indeed, thought John, as Rose counted Adam off.

Around 0700, the rest of the squad arrived and started their routines like a well-oiled machine with minimal direction from Rose. A few of them shot Adam sympathetic looks but it appeared that they were still a bit annoyed at his negligence of the previous day.

"STOP! Obstacle course."

John got up and followed them as they left the training room and went to the big obstacle course set out over the grounds. At Rose's signal, they set off and started the course. Climbing, falling, crawling, jumping and swinging were just a few of the things that were required of them and John was quite impressed by the stamina of everyone on the squad. He made a note to ask Kate if all the troops received the same training or if it was just Rose's squad.

"Hit the showers and report at 1000 hours," ordered Rose. As they dispersed, Rose walked over to John. "I think the bandages need to be changed. Is it okay if I shower first?"

John nodded. "Come and see me in the infirmary," he said. "How's the pain?"

"Manageable," she nodded. "The pills you gave me worked. I'll see you soon."

"Of course," he smiled and Rose turned to leave. "Rose?" he called and she turned back around. "I do agree that your punishment is sound."

With a laugh, she winked at him and left to take a shower. Having had a wonderful morning, John went up to his infirmary and started sorting out the personnel files from the day before. He found Rose's and read that her full name was Rose Marion Tyler and she was 26. Her emergency contact was her mother and she had no allergies. The second page in her file was a catalogue of injuries and there were the reasonable number of injuries that one would encounter by the time they made Captain. He read them for a few minutes, noticing with a wince that she had once been shot in her side and been hospitalised for weeks afterwards.

"Doctor?"

John looked up and felt his face flush. Doctor. That was the name of the man he had seen himself to be in his dreams. The Doctor and the Bad Wolf who were in love and who travelled through time and space together. He couldn't help but notice that Rose never called him John. Just Doctor, even after he had told her to call him John.

"Rose," he said, pushing his embarrassment aside and smiling at her. "Let's have a look at your arm, shall we?" He dropped the files aside and asked her to sit on one of the beds. He examined the wound and found that there was no additional damage. He cleaned it up and started bandaging it again.

"So, you're military, yeah?" she asked him.

He looked at her and gave a small smile. "Yes," he said. "I served in…Iraq. As a medic."

Rose nodded sympathetically. "My Dad was in the Army too. 'S why I joined the Army," she said.

"He died in service?" he asked.

"No, he was finally home. Drunk driver ran him over," she said.

"I'm sorry," he said. "How did you join UNIT?"

"Kate recruited me," she said as the Doctor finished bandaging her up. "Said I had potential."

"I do have to agree with her then," he said as she rolled the sleeve of her shirt down and put her jacket on.

Rose smiled. "Thanks for this. I have a mound of paperwork waiting on my desk so I'll take my leave," she said.

"Keep taking those pain tablets if you experience any discomfort," he advised. "Try to avoid the field until you're fully healed."

"I make no promises. Things around here tend to happen really unexpectedly," she joked as she winked at him.

He laughed at her and she left the infirmary but not before tossing him a cheeky grin. He shook his head and turned back to his work.

Somehow his mind kept wandering to a certain blonde captain the whole time.

~

A week passed with no alien invasions or any kind of disaster and people at UNIT were starting to wonder if they had pleased some cosmic deity that had granted them a peaceful few days. No alien invasions meant no extra paperwork and everyone was pretty much thrilled.

There were still days filled with training and studying but without the added strain of extra disasters, it was as normal as a week could be. Tannoy had formally been charged and was currently awaiting his transfer to a high security UNIT prison in Geneva.

Two days ago, Rose had been given the all-clear by Doctor Smith but the prisoner transfer detail had been decided before that. This meant that Rose would not be participating in the mission. The nominated team consisted of Adam, Maya and Lana, with Lana leading the charge since Jake and Ross were attending a seminar in Edinburgh. Rose wasn't particularly worried; Lana was a great soldier and she would keep Adam in line. Maya was quite responsible without having to be told.

She saw them off at the small UNIT airbase. Tannoy was silent but he had been the same way since his arrest. "Brigadier Lydell from Geneva will be meeting you on arrival," Rose told them as they boarded the aircraft. "Secure the prisoner and be back on the immediate available plane."

"Yes, ma'am," said Lana as the three of them saluted her.

"Good luck," said Rose and returned their salute. She wanted to wait in the hangar until the flight took off but Air Traffic Control informed her that it would be a while until they got proper clearance. Apparently, there had been some discrepancy in the paperwork.

Sighing at the bureaucracy and muttering unsavoury things about red tape, Rose left the airbase and returned to UNIT HQ. It felt unusually empty without her team around. Especially since it was a Friday and even Kate was home with her family.

Knowing that it was already around 4, she knew that she wouldn't be able to get any work done. She closed the file that she had been looking at without reading, and decided to go down to the pub for a drink. She was on her way out when she remembered that the Doctor might still be around and decided to ask him if he wanted to join her.

He was in his tiny office next to the infirmary, writing something in a black notebook. She knocked lightly on his ajar door and he looked up in surprise. "Rose! What're you doing here?" he asked. "Are you hurt?"

"No," she answered, waving away his concern with a smile. "It's Friday evening and the HQ is nearly empty. Just wanted to see if you wanted to join me for a drink."

He looked at her with slightly wide eyes before beaming brightly. "Of course," he said. "Just give me a moment to find my coat."

"Sure," she said and sat down on his desk as he took his lab coat off. "So, what were you writing?" she asked, looking at the closed notebook.

He blushed lightly. "Just a few dreams I've been having," he said.

"Huh. What kind of dreams?" asked Rose, interested.

He saw the interest on her face and decided to answer. "I dream that I am…a traveller. A madman who goes to far-off places and explores," he confessed.

"Sounds fun," said Rose.

"You really think so?" he asked, as if not sure that she wasn't making fun of him.

"Of course," she said firmly. "Considering some of the alien technology that I have seen, we know that the universe is just teeming with life. To see it all, would be incredible."

He beamed at her with a soft look on his face. "Would you like to read it?" he asked, nodding towards the notebook.

"Sure," she said, looking surprised at his offer. He grinned at her and gave her the notebook. "You can read it at your leisure. Return it once you have finished."

Rose took the notebook, feeling slightly overwhelmed at the trust he was showing towards her. She looked at the blank cover of the notebook and then put it inside her bag. "I'll treasure it," she told him sincerely.

He smiled at her and offered his arm. "Now, I believe we were going to get a drink," he said.

~

'The Rose and the Crown' was by no means the only pub in the vicinity of UNIT HQ but it was Rose's favourite place, not for the name, but for the jazz singers who visited every Friday. Usually, they went to the King's Arms across the road for a pint but she went here when she wanted some time to listen to jazz music.

John was impressed at her choice and when she told him that it was a common haunt for jazz singers, he looked quite excited. The interior of the pub was dark, the only light being the muted spotlight on the band and the tiny candles on the individual tables.

Despite it being early in the evening, it was quite full already and the band was playing an unknown jazz melody. "Come on," said Rose, pulling him towards one of the vacant tables. It was a tall table with two barstools set near it. Without even thinking about it, John held her hand as she climbed onto her barstool and didn't let go even after he had seated himself. Rose didn't seem to mind, far from it really, as she gave him a small smile.

"Rose!"

The spell was broken and Rose's hand left his as she turned around to greet the waitress. "Hey, Clara. How're you?"

The petite brunette wearing a short, red dress grinned at her. "I'm great. Haven't seen you around here for a while," she said.

"Yeah, been busy, you know," said Rose. "Oh, this is Doctor John Smith. He's our new doctor. Doctor, meet Clara Oswald. She's a barmaid slash governess."

"Nice to meet you," he said with a polite smile. "Though I am a bit confused by the dual professions."

Clara grinned at him. "She means that I am a waitress during evenings and a nanny during the days," she explained. "And barmaid and governess sounds a bit Victorian," she added, shooting a playful glare at Rose.

Rose laughed. "Whatever you say, Clara," she said. "Anyway, it's his first time here."

"So, you'll both have the House special then?" asked Clara.

John looked questioningly at Rose who for some inexplicable reason, blushed a deep red. "Have I missed something?" he asked when Clara appeared to be trying very hard not to laugh.

"Our House speciality brew is called 'Essence of Rose'. The owners thought it would be good for business," Clara explained.

John laughed, both at the name and Rose's embarrassed glare at him. "I think we ought to get the house special," he said, nudging Rose's shoulder with his. "What do you say, Rose?"

"Yeah, you just laugh it up," she said, pouting at him. "I'll search the whole of Britain if I have to, just to find a brew that is just as humiliating for you."

Both the Doctor and Clara laughed and even Rose chuckled a few times. "I'll get you two of those to start with," said Clara as she grinned at them and flounced off.

"Thanks, Clara," Rose called at her back and Clara waved in acknowledgement as she navigated the tables and went to the bar. Rose looked back at him and saw that he was looking at her, his eyes bright with mischief. Before she could ask him why, the song came to an end and people around them started applauding politely.

"Ladies and gentleman, please welcome our singer for the evening. All the way from New Orleans, it's Michelle Scholls."

John and Rose applauded as the woman took to the stage. The chords of 'Lullaby Birdland' filtered through the air and as Michelle began to sing, it became obvious that it was the Sarah Vaughan version. John smiled as he saw Rose close her eyes and listen to the song with a small smile on her face. Without opening her eyes, she took his hand again and John let himself listen to the song as he linked their fingers together and kept them on his thigh.

With the lovely song in the air and Rose's hand in his, John didn't even notice when Clara flitted by their table and placed their drinks down. She did smile in delight at the obvious closeness of the couple but the two of them were too engrossed in the moment to realise it.

The song came to an end and Rose grinned as she opened her eyes and clapped enthusiastically. John was slightly disheartened at having her hand leave his but he did applaud Michelle as she took a bow. As the applause died down, the spotlight shifted to the piano player as Michelle took the mic and stood next to him.

"Stars shining bright above you…"

"Oh lovely," John murmured and this time, took Rose's hand in his before she could do so. She smiled lightly and rested her head on his shoulder while 'Dream a Little Dream of Me' (the Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald version) was sung by Michelle and her partner.

John rested his head on top of hers, hoping she wouldn't mind when he nuzzled her forehead. Instead of pulling away, Rose leaned into his touch and smiled when his lips brushed her hair. His thumb was stroking their linked hands as he moved his lips to her forehead and down the slope of her nose, before stopping near her lips and making their journey back to her hair the same way.

Rose felt her heart thudding in her chest and a blush creeping up her neck as if she had been intoxicated but neither of them had touched the drinks in front of them. She leaned closer to him and this time when his lips made the journey down, she let her lips touch his very lightly.

She felt rather than heard his surprised gasp and smiled as she pulled away. His hand left hers and Rose was afraid that he was about to move away when his fingers caressed her cheek and tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear.

Rose looked at him with hooded eyes and she knew he was going to move in to kiss her. She tilted her face and closed her eyes, anticipation building in the pit of her stomach. She felt his nose nudge hers and just as they were about to kiss, the spell was broken by loud applause.

They jumped away, startled to realise that they were in a room full of people and not a planet of their own. They met each others' eyes and laughed breathlessly, their foreheads touching lightly. John, who was still cupping her face with his hand, stroked the curve of her cheek with a smile.

Rose grinned at him and twined her hand with the one cupping her cheek. "Come on," she said, jumping to her feet and pulling him along.

John remembered to drop a tenner on the table before the two of them left the dark pub and emerged out on the street. For a moment, it seemed like the bright lights and noises of a busy London street had broken the moment they had found in that dark pub but then Rose grinned at him and started pulling him along, and it was as if they had never been interrupted.

Enthralled and intoxicated by her very presence, John followed her as if she was his North Star, not caring where she was leading him to. The two of them were so caught up in each other that neither of them noticed the bright green bolt of light across the sky before it disappeared.

~

"I hate this weather," grumbled Adam.

"That's the seventh time in twenty minutes that you have said that," said Lana in exasperation.

They had been stuck at the airbase until an hour ago when they had finally been cleared for takeoff. They had only been in the air for twenty minutes and Adam had been complaining the whole time.

Adam ignored her. "I thought the pilot said that we would be having a clear forecast," he said.

"Unexpected storms aren't unheard of," said Maya. "Don't worry. We'll be fine."

As if to contradict her words, the plane shuddered violently and suddenly dropped a few feet in the air. "What the hell is going on?" yelled Lana as she tried to get to the intercom to speak to the pilot.

"I don't know what's happening," came the pilot's voice over the PA system before she could reach it. "I can't control it anymore. Something's bringing it down!"

"Hold on!" yelled Lana as they frantically buckled themselves into their seats.

Even the calmly disinterested Tannoy was looking shaken up as he clutched the shackles binding him tightly. The plane continued to plummet to the ground and suddenly they were all engulfed by a bright green light.

"Mayday, mayday…" was all that was transmitted to the Air Traffic Control before everything went dark.

~

"Put some music on. I'll get the wine."

"Yes, ma'am," said John as he took his coat off and dropped it on the arm of Rose's sofa. He had been surprised to hear that she didn't live on base but in a small flat nearby. It was a cosy living space with walls lined with music, movies and a few books.

He searched through the stacks and found a Glenn Miller CD. Smiling, he inserted it into the CD player and was surprised when the first song to come on was 'In the Mood'.

Rose came back into her living room with a bottle of wine and two glasses which John immediately took off her and set aside. "What're you doing?" she asked with a laugh as he took her hands in his.

"Dancing," he said, nodding towards the CD player.

Rose laughed as she matched his steps and let him swing her around to the classic Glenn Miller song. The two of them giggled and laughed as he twirled her around and dipped her at all the right moments. Eventually, their giggles subsided as the song slowly morphed into 'Moonlight Serenade'.

John placed his hand at her back and drew her closer, his other hand holding hers tightly at their side. Rose's free hand was tangled into the long curls at the back of his neck as they moved slowly to the music.

A loud clap of thunder rang through the air but the two of them remained oblivious as they moved slowly until their movements became so slow that they weren't really moving at all anymore. Rose loosened her grip on his hand and brought it up to his face. The songs on the CD continued but the loud rain outside was starting to drown it out.

Neither of them paid it much mind as Rose brought his face down to hers and kissed him slowly. His hand at her back moved until his whole arm was wrapped around her waist as he returned her kiss with an unequalled passion. Noses brushed each other as their lips moved languorously together to the sound of the two hearts, the faint music and the rain outside.

Both of Rose's arms wrapped around his neck as John drew her closer until she was plastered completely against him. His long arms were wrapped so closely around her that he could touch his own ribs did he wish to do so.

With a gasp, Rose broke the kiss and rested her forehead against his as they both tried to catch their breaths. It took longer for him but Rose had already caught his bottom lip between her teeth and was nibbling lightly on it. He groaned and deepened the kiss, letting his tongue brush her mouth. Rose released his bottom lip with a gasp and his tongue slipped inside, brushing the roof of her mouth in a slow, enticing motion.

"Doctor," she murmured breathlessly against his lips. He pulled back slightly to look into her eyes and was surprised to find them so dark. Keeping his gaze locked with hers, Rose untangled her arms from around his neck and started to unbutton his white shirt.

He moved back to let her continue but still kept his eyes on hers as if she would disappear if he looked away. She got through all of them and pushed it off him. Before she could look at his body, he snaked an arm around her waist and drew her sharply against him.

A loud groan escaped her throat at the hard panes that she could feel against her body and the needy noise spurred him on as he captured her lips again. Rose let her hands wander over the tightly toned muscles of his shoulders, down to his pecs and abs. He felt like he was sculpted from marble. If it hadn't been for the heart that was beating in his chest and the warmth she was feeling from him, she would have thought it really was a marble statue under her hands.

"Rose?" he asked as he touched the first button on her white blouse.

She gave a nod and he slowly started unbuttoning them.

~

"Where are we?" asked Maya.

"Sssh," she heard a raspy voice answer. She tried to squint past the fog in her brain but it felt like everything was just slimy and green. "You shall be Daughter of Mine."

"Wha…?" she murmured but then a cold hand grasped her wrist. "Lana?"

"Sorry, love, I'm Mother now," she said and wrapped her hands around Maya's throat. The last thing that Corporal Maya Shah heard before her death was the laughter of Lana, Adam and Tannoy.

~

The phone rang shrilly and Rose broke off the kiss with a gasp. They were in her bedroom now, partially clothed and looking like they would very quickly prefer to be fully unclothed.

"You're not going to answer that, are you?" he murmured as he brushed his lips against her shoulder, his fingers toying with the strap of her bra.

"I have to," she insisted but made no move to get up. He seemed to have realised the same and was smiling as he kissed up her neck.

The phone stopped ringing and he grinned smugly. "See?"

Rose giggled and turned them around so that she was on top. The phone started ringing again, and this time she reached over to her side table and picked it up. "Tyler."

"Rose, it's Kate," came Kate's frantic voice. "Do you know where Doctor Smith is?"

"Yeah, he's here," she answered, looking at the man she was currently straddling. "Is everything okay?"

"The plane carrying Tannoy went down and only the pilot's body has been found so far," said Kate.

Rose moved off John and started looking for her shirt and trousers. "Could they have survived?" she asked sharply as she started putting her shirt on.

"The pilot managed to make a decent landing," said Kate. "But the pilot, Rose. He was murdered. Tannoy might have planned this all along."

"And now he's got three of my people," she said, her jaw clenching in anger. "Kate, the Doctor and I will be there in ten minutes."

"No, wait," said Kate, surprising Rose. She looked at John who was getting dressed as quickly as he could. "Rose, I've just got a message. There was some sort of an unidentified green flash in the vicinity of the crash. Rose, I need you to tell me your exact location, keep the Doctor there and guard him with your life."

"Kate, what is going on?" asked Rose.

"There isn't time to explain," said Kate, sounding urgent. "Your location."

"I'm at home," said Rose. "Kate…"

"Just do as I say, Captain. That's an order," said Kate.

Rose straightened up. "Yes ma'am."

The line cut off and Rose tossed her phone aside. "You have to stay in here," she said, trying not to sound as confused as she was.

"What?" he asked her. "Rose, what's going on?"

"I don't know but I have orders to protect you with my life," she said as she went over to the bookcase in her room and parted a few books to reveal a safe. She entered the combination and pulled out a gun from inside.

"Rose, talk to me. What is happening?" he asked, looking slightly hurt at her detached tone.

Rose bit her lip but stared back at him determinedly. "I'm under orders," she said. "Please."

His hurt faded with her pleading tone but he still looked worried as he got dressed and sat down on her bed. Rose gave him a small smile as she finished getting dressed and loaded the gun. She stood with her back to him, holding the gun towards the door.

Several minutes passed in silence wherein neither of them said anything. Finally, John got to his feet and ran a gentle hand over Rose's back. "Talk to me," he whispered as he brushed his lips against her cheek.

Rose closed her eyes and resisted the urge to turn her head and kiss him properly. "I have got a bad feeling about this, Doctor," she murmured as he continued to nuzzle her neck. "Like a storm coming towards us. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Nor I you," he said. "Sometimes I feel like we have known each other for far longer than a week, Rose. Or at least like we were always supposed to be heading for this."

Rose turned to look at him and was surprised to see his eyes slightly moist, just like hers. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, when there came a loud knock at her door.

She jumped away from him and told him to stay in her room. She tiptoed over to the door of her flat and held her gun against it as she opened it just a fraction. When she saw that it was only Kate, she sighed and opened the door to let her in.

"I wasn't followed but I had to be careful," she said as she walked in. "Where is he?"

"In my room," Rose answered as she closed and locked the front door.

Kate raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything as she opened the door and found him sitting inside. "It's them. They are here," she said.

He just looked at her in confusion. "Who is, Kate?" he asked.

"The Family. Just like you said. They have sent an ultimatum," she said.

He looked at Rose who seemed just as confused as him. "Kate, what are you talking about?" Rose asked.

"Him!" said Kate. "The Doctor. He said to open the watch if the Family got here. They are here and they are threatening to nuke the whole planet if we don't hand him over."

"Kate, I don't know what you are talking about," said John, getting to his feet. "What Family and what watch?"

"This one," said Kate, holding up the fob watch from her purse.

Rose narrowed her eyes at the curious engravings on it but John was looking at in bewilderment. "I don't recognise it," he said.

"No, not you. The Doctor," said Kate.

"Kate, that is the Doctor," said Rose. "Surgeon Lieutenant John Smith, remember?"

"No, not him. He wasn't real," said Kate as she rounded on Rose. "He is the Doctor, Rose. The one in the files."

That got Rose's attention. Her eyes snapped over to John who was staring at Kate with a hurt expression on his face. "The one in the files?" asked Rose. "But…that's not possible."

"It is and he is," said Kate. "He came to me more than a week ago and said he had to hide."

"No, no, wait," said Rose. "I've read the files and the Doctor is an alien with two hearts. Trust me, he has just the one," she said, pointing at John.

"That's because he changed his biology. Turned himself human so that the Family wouldn't come after him," said Kate.

"What are you two talking about?" he demanded loudly. "Who is this Doctor you keep speaking of?"

"You," answered Kate. "This watch. Just hold it."

Against his wishes but curious all the same, he took the watch from her. His eyes brightened for a moment before he threw the watch on Rose's bed. "No," he said. "I refuse to believe that."

"Oh god," Rose murmured. She had seen the bright gleam in his eyes for just that moment. Kate was telling the truth. This was the alien written about in all those files. She had read those like bedtime stories during her training days. A fantastic man with two hearts who could change his face, and who travelled through time and space in a blue Police box…

"But you must," Kate was insisting. "They have either possessed or killed our UNIT members and taken the access codes to some of our reserve missiles. You have to stop them."

"NO!" he shouted furiously. "I am NOT this alien that you speak of. I am Dr. John Smith. I was born on New Years' Eve in San Francisco. The Doctor is just a fantasy, a dream. He is NOT REAL, I AM!"

Kate stared at him before turning to Rose who was looking shell-shocked. John looked at Rose too and went over to her. "Rose, you believe me, don't you?" he asked, taking both her hands in his. "You know that I am real. Right, Rose?"

Rose clutched his hands, wishing with all her being that this was some sort of a joke but knew that it was not. "Kate, could we have a minute?"

Kate looked between them but nodded. "We have an hour before the deadline ends. Do hurry," she said and then went to Rose's living room, closing the bedroom door behind her.

He released her hands and sat down on the bed. "You believe her, don't you?" he said, hanging his head.

Rose kneeled in front of him and raised his face to hers. "I saw your eyes when you took that watch in your hand," she said, her eyes filling up with tears. "You recognised it too, didn't you?"

He closed his eyes in pain and drew her up so she could sit on his lap. "I was so sure that all of it was a dream," he said. "I never imagined that this was really the dream. A steady life, a job that I like, a woman that I am completely in love with…" Rose gasped and he opened his eyes. "I do love you, Rose Tyler and I don't care if this is just a dream."

"Do I feel like a dream?" Rose asked, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face.

He wiped her tears with his thumb. "You feel like heaven, Rose," he said and kissed her slowly. Rose tangled her hand in his hair as she kissed him back more passionately than she had the whole evening. He moaned low in his throat as he turned them around and pushed her back on the bed gently. "If this is a dream, don't let me wake up," he murmured as he leaned over her and kissed her softly.

Rose broke the kiss and stared at him with eyes full of tears. "But you have to," she said.

"You don't even know what I will become when I open the watch," he said. "If I will even remember you."

Rose looked even more pained at that. "They will destroy the whole planet if we don't stop them," she said, reminding herself that the future of her planet depended on this. Her heart could shatter on its own.

"Then let's give them the watch," he said. "They'll have the Time Lord. We shall have each other."

Rose sat up and looked squarely at him. "How did you know that the Doctor is a Time Lord?" she asked sadly. "Those dreams you have been having. They are not dreams, are they? They are memories."

He opened his mouth and closed it again. The watch's presence was meddling with him. He was waking up from the dream. "Rose," he murmured. "Please."

She leaned up and kissed him soundly for a moment before getting up from the bed and walking towards the door of her bedroom. "Open the watch," she said, leaning against the door.

He looked at her with great sadness before picking up the watch from her bed. "I love you, Rose Tyler," he said. "Whatever I become, please remember that."

Rose didn't answer but he opened the watch and a bright light shone out of it, making Rose shield her eyes. When the light died down, she had to blink a few times to see properly again. He was standing exactly where he was but he seemed…different.

Taller, more regal as if he was holding himself in a whole another way. His eyes were cataloguing his surroundings with the interest of a child in a museum and when he looked at Rose he gave a smile that was more guarded than friendly.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor," he said. "May I know who you are?"

~

The week that followed was painful and agonising. The Doctor had jumped into action right away and stopped the Family of Blood by programming their ship to fly into an exploding star. He had returned to Earth and thanked Kate for her help.

Then he got into his blue box and was gone. Rose had avoided him as best as she could. When she was absolutely required to be in his presence, she kept her attitude professional and even after he insisted on being called the Doctor, she called him sir.

She couldn't call him 'Doctor', it would remind her too much of him. This alien, whoever he was, he didn't remember a thing from when he had changed his biology to the moment he had opened the watch in Rose's flat. To him, everything was a blank slate but for Rose, it had been so much more.

She had met an amazing, wonderful, kind man who had loved her so much. Seeing his face on this new alien felt wrong and like she was tainting his memory. So she steered clear of him and when he was gone, she was finally relieved that she would be able to grieve her Doctor in peace.

Grief wasn't just about that either. Funerals were held for Corporals Adam Mitchell, Lana Brennan and Maya Shah. Rose had lost more than half of her team and there were things to do to fill that gap. She had work dealing with the aftermath of the Family's threats and UNIT was in major security overhaul mode.

Rose was often working late and rarely returned to her flat for a proper rest. After she had worked without break for thirty nine hours, Kate ordered her home. Rose stumbled into her flat and was about to collapse when she tripped over her bag. She hadn't touched it since that day, being too busy with everything.

With a start she realised that he had given her his journal. She picked her bag up hastily and pulled out the notebook. Temptation rose in her heart to open and read it but some part of her sleep-deprived mind reminded her that this was the alien Doctor's memories he had written down. She was contemplating whether it would be a good idea to open it when she heard a peculiar noise. It was a low wheezing sound that was slowly getting louder and louder.

A breeze started up in her flat disturbing papers around the living room. Rose stood up, recognising the sound. Surely enough, a blue Police Box materialised into the tiny space in her living room.

The doors opened and he stuck his head out. "Ah," he said, when he saw a shocked Rose standing there. "I am assuming this isn't the Third Moon of Poosh."

"No, sir," she said.

He frowned at the term. "Captain Tyler, have I offended you in some way?" he asked, stepping out into her living room and closing the doors behind him.

"No, sir," she said again, not offering anything else.

He stared at her in slight exasperation. "Could you then tell me why I was in your flat when I regained my mind?" he asked.

"You're saying that you weren't in your right mind as a human then?" she asked, gritting her teeth. "Sir," she added, almost as if daring him to admit to it.

"If there was something that I did to hurt you in any way while I was human, I apologise," he said.

She shook her head. "You didn't do anything to hurt me," she said. "Far from it, sir."

"Sir again," he said, exasperated. He walked up to her but she stood her ground. "I refuse to leave until I understand what it is I did."

"I don't think you want to know, sir," she said.

He made a sound that might have been a growl. "I am sorry. For whatever I did or have done," he said.

"I understand," said Rose, giving him a nod. "If that is all, sir? I haven't had any sleep in nearly forty hours."

He looked surprised at her dismissal but gave a small nod. "I shall leave then," he said.

Rose nodded, determined not to break now. She gave him the unopened notebook. "It is something your human self kept," she said, her voice wobbling only slightly. "You should have it."

He took it from her, his eyes wide with surprise. Rose nodded and turned away from him to go back to her room. The Doctor opened the notebook and saw the two words written right at the top: Bad Wolf.

And just like that, a door slammed open in his mind. Memories of waking up as Doctor John Smith, an interesting patient on his first day, following her around for observation…slowly liking her, listening to jazz, dancing with her, kissing her…telling her…

"Rose," he said, the notebook falling from his hands.

Rose paused with her hand on the handle of her bedroom door. "Yes?" she asked, without turning around.

He walked up to her and touched her shoulder gently, feeling her tense under his touch. "Rose," he said again. "I remember."

She finally looked at him and it pained him to see the tears in her eyes. "What?"

"I remember," he repeated, feeling a smile waiting to burst forth on his face.

Rose, on the other hand, gave a sad nod. "It's okay," she said. "You…he…told me that things might not be the same."

"They might," he countered.

Rose smiled sadly and shook her head. "I don't think they will," she said.

"Come with me," he said, grasping her hand. "Anywhere, anywhen you want."

Rose looked at his pleading eyes and towards the box in her living room, before looking back at him. "I can't," she said. "I have my responsibilities, just as you have yours. And the two shall never meet," she added in a slightly dramatic voice.

He smiled softly. "Come with me, Rose," he said again. "Please."

Rose smiled back and touched her lips to his cheek in a long kiss. "Goodbye, Doctor," she said and opened the door of her bedroom. She didn't hear the machine leave but she was too tired by then to realise anything.

However, when she awoke the next morning, the box was still in her living room. She scrambled out of bed and went outside to find the Doctor wearing the pink monstrosity of an apron that her mum had given her, and cooking breakfast.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, feeling a small smile on her face despite everything.

He grinned at her. "Good morning, Rose," he said. "I am making breakfast."

"I meant here," she said. "What are you doing here?"

He didn't answer immediately, choosing to spoon eggs and mushroom onto a plate and buttering some toast before handing the plate to her. "I was going to obey your wishes and leave as you asked," he said, picking a toast apart. "But then I read the rest of that notebook."

Rose ate some of the eggs and tried not to moan at the wonderful taste. "And?" she prompted.

"And I wanted to suggest something," he said. "You're right, we both have responsibilities. Yours to your planet and mine to the universe. But…I also have a time machine. You said you wanted to see the life in the universe. Then let's do that. I will take you to see that life and bring you back to your own life minutes after we left."

He looked so eager that Rose didn't have it in her heart to refuse outright. Besides, what he was suggesting was reasonable. She liked working for UNIT and she would love to lead it one day but seeing the universe also mattered to her.

Not to mention that he would be there too. He wasn't the man who had told her he loved her, but he wasn't the alien stranger either. He was an amalgamation of both and someone Rose could be fond of and trust easily.

He looked expectantly at her and a slow smile spread over Rose's face until it was her familiar tongue-touched grin. "One condition," she said.

"Anything," he said, grinning brightly.

Rose grinned and indicated the food. "You make me breakfast like this every morning."

The Doctor beamed happily at her. "Rose Tyler, I do believe we have a deal."


End file.
